Aug 2, 2016 - Personal Injury by Justin Roberts
If you are riding a bicycle and get hit by a car, what you do following the accident can either help or harm you when it comes to recovering damages. Here is what you should do to help yourself:
Call the police – even if you have sustained minor or no injuries, you should call the police and wait for them to arrive so they can take a police report. If you leave without doing this, you may not be able to prove fault.
Do not negotiate – while the driver may be apologetic and offer you some sort of immediate compensation, do not negotiate. Wait for the police and be sure your version of the story is recorded in the report. Many drivers may try to deny their negligence at a later date in order to escape liability for damages.
Get driver and witness information – be sure you get contact information for the driver as well as anyone who witnessed the accident. Write down any witnesses’ comments that may be useful to your case later.
Record your story – write down everything you know about the accident, including date, time, location, weather conditions, traffic conditions, etc. Don’t rely simply on memory, which can change as a result of the trauma.
Don’t fix anything – do not take your bike to be fixed. Keep everything as it was following the accident – your bike, bike helmet, clothing, shoes, etc. Take photos as well.
Call a personal injury attorney – even before you notify your insurance company, call a personal injury attorney who can advise you on how to proceed and help you deal with insurance companies.
The attorneys of Roberts & Roberts have the skill, experience and resources to fully investigate any serious accident or death. If you have a question about an accident involving a serious injury or fatality, please call 800-248-6000 or contact us for a free consultation.
Justin is an attorney at Roberts & Roberts and focuses his practice on mass tort litigation, where he specializes in helping individuals who are harmed by recalled or unsafe pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices. He has earned recognition as a “Top 40 Under 40” Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers. Prior to joining Roberts & Roberts, Justin served as an attorney in all three branches of Texas’s state government, including as a Briefing Attorney on the Texas Supreme Court. He also represented electric and natural gas utilities in complex regulatory proceedings before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Railroad Commission of Texas. Justin is a published author in the St. Mary’s Law Journal.
